For countries, the power which they have is often marked with the strength which their military possesses. The higher the strength, the higher the power which this country possesses. And also the cherished their peacekeeping efforts and staving off conflicts.

The Global Fire Power organisation, a reputable global firm when it comes to understanding and measuring the power of militaries in the world, listed the most powerful countries in the world. In calculating the strength of these militaries, they use parameters which include manpower, army power, naval strength, financial resources, logistical resources, natural resources and geography.

These paramaters determine a given nation’s Power Index score. Through this way, nations are given an equal field of measurement regardless their size.

The following are the ten best militaries in Africa.

10. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Power Index: 1.3651

The African Exponent Weekly

Every week, get a digest of Top African News and Articles from The African Exponent.

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo or the FARDC, take pride in their land forces, which greatly make up for deficient areas such as air and naval units. Their budget stands at $162 million. Some of their stats include 200 battle tanks, 8 attack helicopters, 210 armored fighting vehicles. The FARDC has experienced some significant resurgence after the Second Congo War which was extremely devastating and which resulted in a massive loss of lives and property.

9. Libya

Power Index: 1.2558

Global Position: 74/136

With a giant figure of $3,000,000,000 as their budget, the Libyan army comprises of a small number of active troops, but boast of a vast array of equipment. Even though the country is infamous for its instability and chaos, some of their stats include 18 fighter aircraft, 17 attack aircraft, 8 attack helicopters, 340 combat tanks, 699 armored fighting vehicles, and 100 rocket projectors.

8. Sudan

Power Index: 1.1592

Global Position: 70/136

Spending $2,470,000,000 on defense, some of the equipment that define their army includes 46 fighter aircraft, 81 attack aircraft, 41 attack helicopters, 360 combat tanks, 415 armored fighting vehicles, and 12 naval patrol craft. They have well-organized land, air and naval units. The Chinese and the Russians support the Popular Defense Force, which is the military wing of the National Islamic Front, with military equipment.

7. Morocco

Power Index: 0.9125

Global Position: 55/136

The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces are hugely dependent on foreign resources. They have been involved in a conflict with POLISARO, a liberation movement in the Western Sahara. They are involved in various peacekeeping missions including ones in Somalia. With a defence budget of $3,400,000,000, some of the equipment at their disposal include 56 fighter aircraft, 56 attack aircraft, 1,276 combat tanks, 2,348 armored fighting vehicles, 72 rocket projectors, 6 naval frigates, and 22 naval patrol crafts.

6. Ethiopia

Power Index: 0.8771

Global Position: 51/136

Being a landlocked country, Ethiopia has devoted its time and resources to perfect its land and air units, bearing in mind the Global Fire Power does not penalize landlocked countries for not having naval unites.

Aided with excellent military equipment, Ethiopia harnesses the potential of its large population and thus it has one of the largest forces on the continent. In Ethiopia, people can be called to arms when needed, although it is not mandatory.

Being at 6th is a new thing for Ethiopia, which used to top the lists, hovering around positions 2 and 3. This can be attributed to their enormous investments in infrastructural developments. With a budget of $340,000,000 the Ethiopian Defence Forces military equipment include 24 fighter aircraft, 24 attack aircraft, 8 attack helicopters, 800 combat tanks, 800 armored fighting vehicles, 183 rocket projectors, 85 self-propelled artillery, and 700 towed artillery.

5. Angola

Power Index: 0.8266

Global Position: 48/136

The Angolan Armed Forces’ involvement in the training of the armies of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau was controversial as the leaders of the 2012 Guinea-Bissau coup d’etat cited Angola’s military mission as a primary reason for an uprising.

The rise of the Angolan Armed Forces has been helped by the country benefiting from natural resources such as oil and diamonds which have enriched the country.

4. Nigeria

Nigeria has remained at 4th position for the second time. Like Ethiopia, Nigeria benefits immensely from its huge population, in greater terms than those of Ethiopia. Some of the equipment they utilize is as follows: 9 fighter aircraft, 21 attack aircraft, 11 attack helicopters, 148 combat tanks, 30 rocket projectors, 1,420 armored fighting vehicles, 339 towed artillery, 4 naval frigates, 93 naval patrol crafts, etc. Their defence budget is $ 2,330,000,000. Despite this strength, Nigeria has faced difficulties in fighting the Boko Haram extremist group in Northern Nigeria.

3. South Africa

Power Index: 0.6445

Global Position: 33/136

South Africa’s military is very much technologically advanced; it can even be compared with other developed European nations. their military front line personnel are less than 100,000 but this does not stop them from engaging in peacekeeping missions and fostering international co-operation, helped with their advanced technology. Some of their equipment include 17 fighter aircraft, 17 attack aircraft, 12 attack helicopters, 195 combat tanks, 50 rocket projectors, 2,265 fighting armored vehicles, 43 self-propelled artillery, 97 towed artillery, 4 naval frigates, 3 submarines, 31 naval patrol crafts, etc. The defence budget is a mammoth $4,610,000,000.

2. Algeria

Power Index: 0.4296

Global Position: 23/136

Algeria’s modern army is largely powered and buoyed by the nation’s vast oil resources. Its active frontline personnel numbers more than 127,000 troops and it has nearly 2,000 armored fighting vehicles at its disposal